Day 2

Scripture to Read: John 6:2–4

Since God uses us to share Him with this lost world, He also uses different tests and trials in our lives so that our faith in Him continues to grow and mature. Remember that God has told us this in James 1:2–4, Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. Jesus also tested His original disciples’ faith so they’d grow in their faith in Him. We read in John 6:4–6, Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near. 5 Therefore Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to Him, *said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?” 6 This He was saying to test him, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do. Note how verse 6 ends, “He Himself knew what He was intending to do.” Our Lord always has His plan in mind as He walks us through tests and trials. So, any test or trial we face is never just a random circumstance, but our Lord knows what He plans to do with us and through us in that test or trial. Though we probably will not understand it as we walk through it, we can trust that our Lord is mightily working in and through us. We must be joyful and ask the Lord not to let us miss what He’s teaching us.

Challenge & Application

• What tests and trials have you faced that have grown your faith in Christ and His Word? • How have you shared with others the handiwork of God through the tests and trials you have faced?

Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!

Devotionals from this week

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Day 1

Jesus closed John 5 by sharing with the Jews the testimony from John the Baptist, the testimony from His works, the testimony from God the Father, and the testimony from the Scriptures, and that they all testified of Jesus being the Messiah! As John 6 opens, we read in John 6:1–3, After these things Jesus went away to the other side of the Se...

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Day 2

Since God uses us to share Him with this lost world, He also uses different tests and trials in our lives so that our faith in Him continues to grow and mature. Remember that God has told us this in James 1:2–4, Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 ...

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Day 3

We know Jesus was testing Philip and the rest of His disciples when He asked Philip where they could buy enough bread to feed the huge crowd that was following. Philip did not hesitate to answer Jesus, for he told Jesus in John 6:7, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little.” To understan...

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Day 4

Thankfully, the tests and trials we walk through grow our faith in Christ, but because they can be overwhelming at times, we need the constant reminder that God gives us in 1 Peter 4:12–13, Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; 13 ...

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Day 5

There is no doubt that God met the crowd's needs through five loaves and two fish, as He multiplied them abundantly. We read in John 6:12–13, When they were filled, He *said to His disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments so that nothing will be lost.” 13 So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five bar...

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Day 6

Remember that when the crowd followed Jesus, they did so according to John 6:2, “because they saw the signs which He was performing on those who were sick.” The people loved what they had seen Christ do and wanted more of it, because now we read in John 6:14–15, Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, “This i...

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Day 7

Jesus had taught the disciples a valuable lesson on trusting in God’s abundant provision. But, just like us, what Jesus had taught them did not feed into all areas of their lives. We know this because Jesus tested the disciples’ faith again. In John 6:16–21, we see that the disciples went ahead of Jesus, got in their boat, and started rowing ...

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